Strong front could bring strong storms tonight

Update: The storms are moving very fast 55mph so all times have been moved up 2-3 hours from my early post.

A very potent arctic cold front is quickly moving across the mid-south this morning heading towards the Carolinas tonight. There are a few threats to watch out for as the day and night progresses. The 1st would be strong surface winds from the southwest ahead of the front. These winds will be 20-30mph with higher gusts to 40 mph as the afternoon and evening progresses. The second threat will be the front itself which should cross the region between 10pm to around 12 am tonight.

There is a slight chance some of the thunderstorms along the front could be strong or even severe. While the primary threat will be strong winds some of the stronger updrafts could help produce hail. There also is a very isolated tornado threat. I think this tornado threat will mainly be across South Carolina tonight with the passage of the cold front. Now is a good time to prepare for severe weather especially if you are going to be away from your TV tonight or asleep. Be sure to have a battery operated NOAA weather radio, a fully charged cell phone and download our weather app from WCNC. You should also make sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook & Google +for the latest updates on the forecast.

Below is a brief weather discussion video of the set-up and maps depicted the threats overnight. I also included model looks at the Future radar from the high resolution short term model HRW. Which is further down the page.

Video Discussion:

Strong Winds:

Depicted in the brighter color arrows just off the surface. These will mix down with the heating of the day and rain or thunderstorms.